The maneuverability of vessels having fixed screws which can only provide forward and reverse thrust is limited. This can be a handicap in confined waters, for example in crowded harbors, marinas and the like where limited space is available for docking, and where a facility for effecting tight turns is an advantage.
The problem of lack of maneuverability of motor-driven vessels has long been recognized and there have been various proposals for equipping vessels with devices for providing lateral thrust at the stern or bow, thereby greatly enhancing the steering characteristics. It has, for example, been proposed to provide a stern or bow thruster in the form of screw or jet mechanism that provides auxiliary lateral thrust as required. The known mechanisms however, tend to be complex and expensive, difficult to install, and inefficient in operation. Additionally, those systems using electrically-driven thrusters generally have been battery-driven, requiring connection to a vessel's D.C. system and tending, with continued use, to cause rapid battery depletion.
The provision of a steering thruster package which is simple to install in a vessel of a moderate size (i.e., up to about 75 feet in length), so that it may, for example, be installed by the owner of the vessel himself, which may be permanently attached in place without producing significant drag and which is simple and inexpensive to maintain and operate appears to have eluded the art. The present invention is directed, inter alia, toward the provision of such a package.